the kings tide has peeked ts morning in marin county. good >> your realtime captioner: linda marie macdonald. some drivers won't let high water stop them today. check it out. the king tide has peaked this morning in marin county. good afternoon, everyone. i'm frank mallicoat. >> and i'm michelle griego. >> it is the highest tide of the year and they have barely hit the bay area. they are living up to their name. cbs 5 reporter elissa harrington is in mill valley where preparing for king tides flooding is under way. >> it's coming in fast. it looked like it was filling up a bathtub. >> reporter: workers at mill valley stack sandbags as water from the bay creeps closer to their business flooding the parking lot. for people like 8-year-old jocelyn and her mother, who came to check the scene -- >> i think it's pretty amazing and it's coming up really, really high. >> reporter: but for the owner

-- >> very concerned. you know, we don't want the building to get flooded. >> reporter: king tides, the highest tides of the year, are arriving along the california coast n some places, water is rising a couple of inches and others several feet. this was the manzanita park and ride where drivers were warned. risk. >> it just keeps getting higher every day. >> reporter: members of the marin rowing association says it's not as high as they have seen it but pretty close. >> looking at the bridge, you can see the watermark almost at its highest. >> the water is high and because of the high tides there's a lot of stuff floating into it so the boats are bumping into things, a lot of partially submerged logs and a pumpkin floated by. >> reporter: these tides happen once a year but some scientists say they are a look into the future. sea level will rise a foot within 40 years so researchers are asking people to document these tides and post pictures on californiakingtides.com to draw attention to how the shoreline is constantly

changing. at high tide it's hard to tell where the bay ends and parking lot beginnings. you can see water up past my ankles. as fast as this water comes pouring in, it takes about an hour for it to roll back out. in mill valley, elissa harrington, cbs 5. southern california is also dealing with the king tides. for more on that and when we may see another round of wet weather here, let's kick it over to lawrence. >> we have reached the max of the high tide. down at the embarcadero you can see the water has lapped on the cement there. that's because the tides are very high, some at 7 feet, some places 8 feet. so the king tides living up to their name today. and looks like this will start to recede. the interesting thing, as we get into the afternoon, we are going to see some very, very low tides so it should be a great day to check it out. in the meantime, though in southern california, they had the high tides, as well. in fact, boy, it's flooding in the mission beach area. you can see that there.

probably going to stick around for at least one more day but the good news is, is we have a storm on top of us, a real strong storm. this of course would send that tide a lot higher. that doesn't look like that's going to happen, although we have another storm off the coastline likely to bring some rain. it doesn't look like it will cause any more flooding problems. we'll have more on that storm and a very active weather pattern coming up in a couple of minutes. back to you. >> thank you. some new calls for san francisco's sheriff to step down. a women's rights group is behind a new petition. cbs reporter elizabeth wenger is live at city hall to explain how this may be planting the seed for a future recall against sheriff ross mirkarimi. >> reporter: good afternoon. that's right. there's actually a meeting being held now in the mayor's office at city hall. it's about the citywide effort to stop domestic violence called peace at home. it's about putting up billboards, bus ads, talking about putting a stop to this. folks like the mayor and the district attorney, who are actually heading this meeting,

have been talking a lot recently about curbing ross mirkarimi's power on different domestic violence issues and some people have actually gone even further than that. check out this website. this is rossresign.org an online petition calling on the san francisco sheriff to step down and avoid a costly recall effort. they want 50,000 signatures. right before this meeting started, we talked to the president of the board of supervisors and the district attorney. they say this is about turning around a bad trend, not the embattled sheriff. we specifically asked george gascon if he had an opinion about the petition. >> no. i really want to concentrate on the public safety piece and concentrate in this campaign prevention. >> today's events has nothing to did with those efforts. today's event is to raise awareness particularly for those who may be currently victimized by domestic violence that helps victims to make

their situations better. >> reporter: so this is some video of a press conference that just kicked off a little while ago. ross mirkarimi we tried to contact him or talk to someone from the sheriff's department. no one returned our calls. of course, ross mirkarimi has spoken many times saying that he has no intention of leaving his position. >> thank you. santa clara county officials have called outboard president george shirakawa, jr., again after releasing a second audit on the president's use of public funds. the county's finance agency announced he must immediately reimburse thousands more dollars than he previously had been told to return since take office in 2009. shirakawa has used his county credit card for 174 meals and billed taxpayers for out of state casinos, golf trips and rental upgrades. a san leandro school board member who also works as an elementary school teacher is facing dui charges. lance jaynes was arrested for

driving under the influence last friday near the san leandro oakland city line. at a school board meeting this week, james disclosed his arrest and assured the board he learned from his mistake and takes his position very seriously. bart riders can expect to see more police officers in oakland and san francisco today. bart is beefing up police patrols at its stations in downtown san francisco. the goal is to provide for protection for holiday shoppers. in oakland, city police will join bart officers this afternoon in providing escorts for passengers parked at the west oakland station. more bay area headlines. drugs and alcohol are not considered factors in a deadly crash on the san mateo bridge. the accident had traffic backed up for miles. according to investigators, the driver of a honda was flashing hazard lights and slowing down after getting a flat tire. another car failed to slow down and slammed into that honda killing a woman who was sitting

in the back seat. the oakland police department avoids a complete federal takeover. now a compliance director will keep track of reforms in the department. the court appointed director will also help implement reforms required by the settlement of a civil rights lawsuit. and take a look. a wild ride through san francisco's broadway tunnel all caught on tape. a police sergeant posted the video on facebook. the video shows the driver hitting the gas in a lamborghini heading into the tunnel. the sergeant is now backing away from online comments about speeding and being drunk behind the wheel. the blame game continues with the "fiscal cliff" negotiations. democrats and republicans are at a standstill over how to stop a flurry of year end tax increases and spending cuts. cbs reporter tara mergener explains how capitol hill is preparing for the worst-case scenario. >> washington, d.c., december 13, 2012. >> reporter: cbs news has learned lawmakers are receiving

orders today to cut their own budgets 11%. it's congress' first encounter with the consequences of going over the "fiscal cliff." without a compromise, across- the-board spending cuts will kick in and taxes for all americans will go up on january 1. with little progress being reported, frustration is mounting on capitol hill. >> if we don't act, the economy will go over the cliff. not just our budget process. the economy will go over the cliff. >> reporter: the sticking points remain the same. the president wants higher taxes for the wealthiest americans. republicans are insisting on deeper spending cuts. >> republicans want to solve this problem by getting the spending line down. the president wants to pretend that spending isn't the problem. that's why we don't have an agreement. >> reporter: the sail mate between the white house and capitol hill -- the stalemate between the white house and capitol hill isn't just frustrating lawmakers. many taxpayers are frustrated the elected leadership is not

getting the job done. >> now is not the time to hold budget negotiations hostage when so many americans are uncertain about their own financial security. >> reporter: polls show the majority of americans including many republicans would support higher taxes for households making more than $250,000 a year. tara mergener for cbs news, washington. a new perk for heavy coffee drinkers. the connection between the daily habit and oral cancer. >> they are in the community because they belong in the community. >> and the north bay woman who is making sure people with developmental disabilities find more opportunities to get ahead in life. that story and much more when we come back. ,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,

morning as investors keep a close eye on fiscal cliff t

in washington. here's a look at the big welcome back. stocks were struggling this morning as investors keep a close eye on that "fiscal cliff" talks in washington. we in they're having trouble. and so is wall street. the numbers are down in a big way down almost 100 points right now. down but despite the government reports that retail sales are actually up and unemployment claims dropped last week. they need fix that "fiscal cliff" though. this week's jefferson award winner was inspired by her own aunt's experience to create something better for people with developmental disabilities. as kate kelly reports, she is expanding the world for her clients in the name of a stronger community for everyone. >> i put things away. i fold. i say hi to customers. they talk to me and they hug me and see me smile. >> reporter: 39-year-old robin sloan has been working at banana republic in corte madera

for 15 years thanks to a program called pacific diversified services, or pds. >> our mission is to help people with disabilities become active members of their community through work and also through community interactions. >> reporter: founded 22 years ago by lisa markey girarldi, pds is about getting out and doing everyday activities. >> the reward for me is seeing people improve their quality of life and seeing them enjoy simple pleasures. >> reporter: so an important part of lisa's program is finding part-time work for her clients. like kevin who for 16 years has worked at woodland's market and salley harrison who stocks the shelves. >> i have people i love, people that care about me, i love in my own place now. >> you take them into the real world and put them in a context where they're happy, where they're being included, where

they're being treated with dignity and respect, and it is not even the same person. >> reporter: today pacific diversified services has 27 clients. for lisa, these aren't short- term relationships. they last a lifetime. at the pds offices in san anselmo, lisa and her staff of 12 coordinate the weekly logistics of carpooling clients to various activities six hours a day five days a week. >> i think they would have fun together. >> reporter: from classes at college of marin to yoga and trips to the mall, being out in the world builds confidence and lifeskills. just ask robin's mother patti, who brought her daughter to lisa's program 15 years ago. >> i have seen her become much, much more independent and her self advocacy skills have been growing by leaps and bounds. >> they are in the community because they belong in the community. and they deserve to be there. >> reporter: so for her commitment to helping the

developmentally disabled become active members in their community, this week's jefferson award in the bay area goes to lisa markey girarldi. kate kelly, cbs 5. >> that's great. you can get in touched with pds using the link on our website, cbssf.com. click the connect button at the top of the page. then jefferson awards to find our story on lisa. >> are you ready for snow had here's the snow dusting the grapevine down in southern california on i-5 part of a storm system out of the gulf of alaska. extra chp patrols on interstate 5 monitoring drivers coming in and out of l.a. part of the area is under a winter weather advisory. >> we have some frost around the bay area to kick off the day and looks like it will get close to that again tonight. it looks like the storm door is staying over and we have another storm coming in our direction. in fact, the clouds are going to be rolling on in.

but right now we have mostly clear skies. that cold air from the gulf of alaska sitting overhead but you can already see the clouds beginning to make their way in our direction. this afternoon mostly sunny, cool temperatures and then tonight increasing clouds. because we are seeing increasing clouds not quite as cold and then there's more rain on the way starting as early as tomorrow. but i think a series of storms coming in our direction. partly cloudy skies over the bay. chilly in spots, 48 in livermore, 52 in san jose. and 52 degrees in san francisco. all that cold air dropping in from our north and driving to the south. we are going to see another storm system usher in more cool air so these temperatures are going to be staying cool for quite a while now. not only here but around the state. high country you want to get up there and ski, looking good. 30s and 40s. a good day to travel up there now but things changing as we get through the day tomorrow. you'll notice the clouds pile in late in the day and then tomorrow morning, a chance of some showers.

but this is really going to just skirt the coastline. so i think the best chance out toward the beaches and then that moves out. then into saturday afternoon, the rainfall picks up once again and a chance of rain on the way. all right. so with that in mind, temperatures today are going to stay cool. let's plan on 50s out there. mainly 50s into the east bay, 40s over the mountaintops. and plenty of 50s inside the bay and also the north bay. next couple of days, we're going to keep things rather cool. in fact, overnight lows tonight again into the 30s and 40s. i think by day tomorrow again only in the 50s, chance of showers early on and then looks like more unsettled weather into sunday and monday and tuesday. the rain just keeps coming. lots of snow in the sierra nevada. boreal expecting more snow. also sugar bowl 8" of new snow. and more snow as you make your way into other parts of the sierra nevada, plenty of snow in northstar, as well. back to you. >> thank you. a slugfest worthy of a pro hockey game. but it's not. it's a fake fight and it looks like the real deal between two mascots. what happens? we'll tell you. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

get along. this was supposed to be a fake fight between louisvilles bulldog and du's owd went here we go. sometimes mascots just can't get along apparently. this was supposed to be a fake fight between louisville's bulldogs, the dupont rams of kentucky. high school hoops actually. the crowd went wild when it turned into a real

"basketbrawl." security guards had to break it up. the schools apparently have a rivalry back to 1893 and the mascots aren't too friendly apparently. >> you have to keep it on a friendly level, right? >> both their heads stayed on, though. >> that's good. >> that's professional. governor jerry brown is undergoing prostate cancer treatments at uc-san francisco. the 74-year-old is in the early stages of the disease and has a good chance of beating it. the governor's treatment is set to end the week of january 7. coffee drinkers listen up. they may now keep cancer away. a new study by the american cancer society says that morning cup of joe may lower your risk for oral cancer. researchers found people who drank more than 4 cups of coffee a day had half the risk of dying from mouth or throat cancer. that's in comparison to noncoffee drinkers. more research is needed. >> you have the house on your

block it holiday season? not many can top these million lights. coming up. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

fresh grocer tony tan-tilloh what you need to know about pi welcome back. they are a versatile food sure to give any meal a juicy bite. fresh grocer tony tantillo with what you need to know about picking out the best tomatoes. >> reporter: well, today's tip of the day is going to be is going to be with slicing tomatoes beefsteaks for had

time of year. some are imported, some in hothouses and some gas ripened red. picked green and then ripen then like they do bananas so they're red. they are very firm and sometimes they look red on the outside. cut them on half on the inside and they're green. let me tell you, when you buy them, you want to be sure that red is deep all the way around, just like this. very important. very heavy for their size. if you see some greening around the side right here, that means it might be some green on the inside. free from any shriveling whatsoever. when you bring them home, what you want to do simply -- they look so beautiful, too -- what you want to do is simply store them on the counter, not in the refrigerator. now, these tomatoes could last a lot longer on the counter than in the summertime. as a matter of fact, they can last four to five days just like this. after about 7 days they will start to turn a little bit. so tomatoes for slicing, for the hamburger or even on a grill, still great tomatoes, for slicing tomato. i'm tony tantillo, your fresh grocer. and always remember to eat fresh and stay healthy. this is a beautiful tomato.

i have to tell you. >> yes, they are. there is something very special brewing in oakland's chinatown. >> it is the yu ming mandarin charter school where alameda county kids are getting a bilingual education and it's free. it was the brainchild of nine local parents who are all amazed right now how it's grown in just two short years. >> it's amazing. you see these kids, you know, half of whom have no mandarin exposure at all, and then by now it's only three months into school and they're already speaking mandarin. they're reading some perhaps, they're trying to write characters. it's really incredible. >> what is it about the school that you love >> recess! >> recess! [ laughter ] >> well, they are kids. the yu ming school is k through second grade but they are going to expand through 8th. it's a terrific place. it was this week's "cool school." captions by: caption colorado comments@captioncolorado.com ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

>> brooke: we have to promise each other, no matter how bad we feel or how tempted we are, katie cannot know that we kissed. >> bill: she's not gonna hear it from me. >> taylor: (sighs) >> brooke: we have to forget that it even happened. >> bill: that, i won't be able to do. >> katie: it's dangerous to leave me alone. >> taylor: (sighs) why is that? >> katie: since you've been gone, i've bought out a baby store. >> taylor: making up